In this blog post, Angela Mallard addresses academic identity and how it could be intimately tied in with a susceptibility for mental health issues. She quotes recent research on psychological well–being and mental illness among academics, and also draws our attention to a panel at an upcoming conference that will specifically discuss mental health in academia.

In this anonymous blog, “Nevin” discusses the dangers of invoking familiar tropes and clichés to explain away genuine distress over directions and decisions that are no longer working for you – such as sticking it out with a PhD.

“I had read many accounts before of people becoming seriously anxious due to worry associated with their PhD project, but many of those accounts were written by people with pre-existing mental health issues. I had never had any issues like this before, but the hours that I was putting in to “stick with it” and to “persevere” were now beginning to take their toll.”

This article in The Guardian shifts the focus from mental illness and university students to academics and researchers within the system, where the norms around discussing and supporting people with vulnerabilities may be less explicit and more stigmatized.

Karen Lowinger writes about the unique challenges of living with a mental illness whilst being high-functioning. She also comments on the mental health profession slowly coming to terms with the nuances of high-functioning mental illness.

Eric Grollmanreflects on issues of race whilst pursuing a graduate degree that could affect the mental health of students of color. He provides some useful advice on navigating race in academia. He has some useful tips on things to pay attention to before you apply to a graduate program and what to watch out for as you start your PhD journey.